WRITER: Shane Jackson

Preps notebook: FSHS boys golf notches 3rd at Sunflower League Championship

After the final leg of the Sunflower League Championship, Free State’s boys golf team secured a third-place finish. FSHS placed fourth at the Olathe North Invitational Monday afternoon, shooting a 319 team score at the Falcon Ridge Golf Course. Shawnee Mission East (291), Olathe East (297) and Olathe West (315) all finished ahead of the Firebirds in the final leg of the league tournament. It was enough to ...

'It is our playground here': KU tennis completes undefeated season at home by notching Sweet 16 berth

After the Kansas women’s tennis team claimed its third point, many fans turned their attention to the fourth court at the Jayhawk Tennis Center Saturday afternoon. It wasn’t long before freshman Sonia Smagina capped things off by winning No. 4 singles, sending KU to its first Sweet 16 since 1998 with a 4-2 victory over Florida in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The scene was majestic. As Smagina ...

Lefty Ethan Bradford anchoring Free State staff during final season

Ethan Bradford can still picture how nervous he was when he stepped on the mound. Bradford, who has been a lifelong fan of Nebraska because his family is from there, has always dreamed of pitching for the Cornhuskers at the collegiate level. So when Bradford got the opportunity to pitch in a camp at Nebraska last July, the Free State hurler was determined to make the most of it. Once he got comfortable, it was ...

KU tennis defeats Florida, advances to Sweet 16 for first time since 1998

Moments after Kansas senior Janet Koch lost her singles match and shook hands with her opponent, she turned to watch the fourth court at the Jayhawk Tennis Center. Within seconds, freshman Sonia Smagina let out a deafening scream as the return by Marlee Zein soared out of bounds. Koch was the first to hug Smagina, who capped off KU’s 4-2 win over Florida in the second round of the NCAA Tournament Saturday ...

Preps notebook: Veritas baseball captures second consecutive state crown

For the second consecutive season, the Veritas baseball team will come home with a state title. VHS cruised to a 14-4 victory over Wichita Home School Saturday afternoon in St. Mary’s during the championship game of the KCAA state tournament. It is the third such title for the Eagles in their program’s brief history, including second in a row. It was a one-run game before Veritas poured in six runs in the ...

Despite sloppy play, KU tennis advances past Denver in opening round

There was no tennis racquet flip. There was no Gatorade bath or large team celebration at the Jayhawk Tennis Center. Nearly two weeks after doing all those things in response to claiming its first-ever Big 12 title, the postgame festivities for the Kansas women’s tennis team were much more tame following a 4-0 win over Denver in the first round of the NCAA Tournament Friday afternoon at Rock Chalk Park. It ...